Surviving Christmas - Six Silly Season Survival Strategies

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A few years back a team of psychologists at Coventry University did some work on Stress at Christmas time.

Rob Wilde, a psychologist at the university, reckons Christmas stress is a result of:

  • extra responsibility

  • a radical shift in daily patterns

  • more people, alcohol, food, spending and over-excited children than we normally experience.

Rob also notes that we often pass the stress we can feel at this time of year off as tiredness or a hangover. Really Rob? There's every chance it's option D, All of the above!

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How is the silly season for you? Are you heading into it with a sense of joy and relaxation, or is it more like the picture above?

I could say a whole lot about not eating and drinking too much, and making sure you stay relaxed, but like me you will probably over indulge and be charging from one thing to another.

So here's my top 6 Silly Season Survival Strategies:

Simplify - Reduce the load on you and your family by simplifying the plan. Can the load of preparing be shared? Can meals be simplified? Can travel be minimised?

Breathe - When we are under pressure we tend to breathe less. At least once a day pause and take some long, deep, conscious breaths. It's still one of the simplest and easiest ways to reduce stress and improve wellbeing.

Eat - I presume you will over indulge (I know I will!) So take every opportunity between feasting to eat fresh, healthy and light food. It will ease the load on your digestive system and help keep your immune function up.

Drink - Stay well hydrated. Water is essential to good digestion and to processing toxins like alcohol. It also helps reduce stress and keep your thinking clear.

Expect - I often talk about expectations. Whenever our expectations don't match reality we experience stress. Spend some time asking yourself what your expectations at Christmas are. Are they realistic? Can they be met? How will you react if they are not? Share your thoughts with the people around you. Just being clear about your expectations will significantly reduce the chance of heated moments. Some examples of expectations that could cause stress are light traffic, no queue at the shop, getting something other than socks this year.

Gratitude - is a powerful way to reduce stress and increase wellbeing. Take some time to express gratitude to the people around you, including the people in service roles who get run off their feet at this time of year.

Enjoy the Christmas Season. Blessings and Joy to you and your family.